We hope you’ve had a great weekend, drinking up the last drops of fall color, soaking up the sunshine, and enjoying the unseasonably warm weather before the frosty, refreshing tide of winter comes rolling in. Despite what the weather of this past weekend might have convinced you, it is already November! Yes, we’ve enjoyed the entirety of the essence of the bridging month of September and the delightfully vibrant, crisp month of October, and now it’s time for November. What qualities are defined by this month? Well, let’s think about something besides the weather for a moment. What good is there in confining our “thanks giving” to one day out of an entire month, when we have so many incredible blessings to be grateful for at all times? In honor of that proposition, let’s make November a month of gratitude. Of course, we should always ponder the bountiful bouquet of blessings bestowed upon our bodies and souls, but if one must take a month to, especially ponder upon what we have to be thankful for, let it be November. So, for our first post of the month, here are just a few of our reflections as we head into the season of gratitude:

Photo credit by D.C. Smith

We are grateful to be up here in the beautiful city of Duluth! Truly, those of you who have lived here your entire lives are vulnerable to taking for granted this awe-inspiring gem of a city. But as newcomers to the Northland, we have been blown away by the gorgeous scenery, plentiful opportunities, and slower more relaxed pace of life up here at the top of the map. Let us not forget how fortunate we are to call this place home. (Or vacation if you’re a visitor!)

We are grateful to be second-generation store owners! It was about a year ago, during a trip up for Thanksgiving, that the first small seed was planted in our minds that we could possibly become owners of “Papa’s store.” At first, it seemed a farcical fantasy, such a deviance from our “regular” lives in suburbia that we had been in for so long. But God truly was (and is!) on the move, and here we are, serving the city of Duluth and all our customers with our exciting, yet humble, vision for the store and everyone who visits. Sometimes we just sit back and ponder about how we came to be here, but in the end, it turns out that we are just, like everyone else, blessed beyond measure.

We are grateful for all of our service men and women who have sacrificed so much to keep our country noble and free, and that we are able to devote a day this month to honoring their valiance, vigor and commitment to liberty on Veterans’ Day, November 11, 2016. That is why, as an expression of gratitude, on Veterans’ Day weekend, 11/11-13, we will be extending a 10%discount to all veterans and current servicepeople.Simply show your military ID to take advantage of this reduced-cost opportunity to take home one or more of our high-quality products. It’s our relatively insignificant way of extending a robust “thank you” to all those who have given everything and anything for the people and country they love.

Lastly, (at least for this post; there is no limit to our thankfulness outside of the tight and impersonal confines of cyberspace), we are grateful for gratefulness! In other words, we are grateful that not everything in the world feels grim and unpromising. Blessings are everywhere for everyone if we just take the time to notice. We encourage you this month, and always, to just pause, take a deep breath, glance around you, think of the positive, wonderful things in your lives, and take a moment to acknowledge how blessed you really are as the craftsmanship of an all-powerful Creator.

Thank you for being grateful with us as we celebrate the time leading up to the Thanksgiving/Christmas season.